RPM acquires Dealers Choice Auto Transport and PARS, expanding into new markets
Michigan-based international non-asset-based logistics and supply chain solutions company RPM Freight Systems announced two significant acquisitions in December 2025, each allowing it to increase its footprint in a new market.
RPM received financial backing from private equity firms Trive Capital and Bluejay Capital Partners in 2024
RPM
On December 9, 2025, RPM announced the acquisition of Professional
Automotive Relocation Services (PARS), a relocation provider for the fleet
industry. Then on 18 December it confirmed it had also acquired Dealers Choice
Auto Transport, a vehicle shipping specialist.
Expanding into specialised white glove services
With the acquisition of Dealers Choice, RPM hopes to “bridge
the gap between large-scale logistics and specialised dealership service,
ensuring that customers on both sides of the transaction experience faster,
more transparent, and high-quality vehicle transport.”
It intends to take advantage of Dealers Choice’s “deep
expertise and high-touch customer service” to deepen its reach into the
dealer-to-dealer, auction and personal sectors.
RPM will combine its large logistics network and technology
platform with Dealers Choice’s specialist expertise to providing the reliable white
glove care required for high-line dealerships, exotics, classic cars and
personally-owned vehicle transportation.
"Joining RPM is a fantastic opportunity for our team
and our customers after more than 20 years of service," said Steven Yariv,
president and CEO of Dealers Choice Auto Transport. "Our deep roots in the
exotic luxury dealership community and our focus on reliable, on-time delivery
align perfectly with RPM's values. Together, we will be able to offer an even
more powerful set of tools and a broader network, all while maintaining the
personal care and reliability our customers have come to expect from us."
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Expanding into fleet relocation and lifecycle management
services
RPM’s acquisition of PARS represents a move into high-value corporate fleet services such as driveaway, vehicle storage, and titling and registration.
It hopes to leverage PARS’ experience in lifecycle
management and its own expertise in finished vehicle logistics to benefit customers
of each respective brand with “seamless access to an expanded portfolio of
services through a single, trusted partner and end-to-end solutions that meet
all their fleet and transport needs”.
"Joining RPM is a fantastic opportunity for our team
and our customers,” said Lori Rasmussen, president and CEO of PARS. “Our
dedication to service quality and metrics-driven solutions aligns perfectly
with RPM's values. Together, we will be able to offer an even more powerful set
of tools and a broader network to the fleet industry."
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Big plans for 2026
With these two deals agreed before the end of 2025, RPM has
ambitious plans for the year ahead. Growth has been a key target for RPM in
recent years, further enabled by investment
from two private equity firms – Dallas-based Trive Capital and Denver-based
Bluejay Capital Partners.
This investment was announced in July 2024, with RPM founder
and then-CEO Barry Spilman stating: “As we enter our next phase of growth, we are
delighted to partner with Trive and Bluejay and leverage their significant
operational and industry expertise.”
He elaborated: “The support and resources of these two firms
should accelerate our growth trajectory by enhancing our service capabilities
and unlocking new opportunities in North America and Europe. Together, we will
continue to set the standard for excellence and innovation in our industry.”
"We are thrilled to have the support of Trive Capital
and Bluejay Capital in welcoming Dealers Choice Auto Transport to the RPM
team," said John Perkovich, president of RPM North America, after the
closure of RPM’s second North American acquisition in December 2025.
"We believe 2026 is going to be our biggest year yet,” Perkovich
added. “This acquisition opens us up to yet another industry vertical and
continues to propel our growth with our current dealership and auction
partners.”
He continued: “This combination will allow us to provide
enhanced reliability and capacity during peak seasons, snowbird periods and
high-demand auction cycles. We are united in our commitment to solving the most
complex logistics challenges."
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Agility a key focus for RPM
Perkovich spoke at the Finished Vehicle
Logistics North America conference in 2025, highlighting the importance of being
agile and able to adapt in today’s rapidly changing automotive logistics
landscape.
“We've spent the last few years building out a network that
can handle volumes of contracted and spot business… and we’re developing relationships
with trucking companies,” he said. “We're looking to understand how to build a
network that really feeds itself to create a more consistent experience.”
He added: “Where we go next is really going to rely on our
ability to pivot and create more flexible solutions.”
By diversifying its revenue streams, targeting different markets
and widening the ways in which it can move vehicles, RPM’s acquisition of
Dealers Choice and PARS should allow the company to progress in terms of
agility, as well as growth.
Expanding into value-added and lifecycle services through the acquisition of PARS reduces RPM’s reliance on pure transport volume, while operating across more segments of the vehicle logistics market gives RPM better visibility into demand trends across dealerships, auctions and fleets. That additional insight could allow RPM to shift capacity, pricing and resources quicker as it reacts to changes in market conditions.
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RPM in Europe
Outside of North America, RPM has operated as a finished
vehicle logistics and freight services provider in Europe since 2019. Launched
as part of an international expansion plan that also saw RPM expand into Mexico
in 2022, RPM described its first year in Europe as a “tremendous success” and planned
to growth further by supporting and attracting new customers and building
partnerships.
In March 2025, Paul Magdeleyns was appointed as the new managing
director of RPM Europe, succeeding Frits
Mehrtens, who served as interim managing director and continues to support
RPM as senior advisor for business development.
“Since RPM entered the European market in 2019, they have
taken a smart and innovative approach,” said Magdeleyns at the time of his
appointment. “With over 32 years of experience at three major asset-based
companies, I initially wondered how a company like RPM could convince my
customers to move their vehicles without even owning a single truck. But RPM's
technology and powerful network set them apart.”
He added: “I am thrilled to join a company that redefines
industry standards and my goal is to ensure everyone recognises that RPM Europe
is no longer a 'small' player – it’s a force to be reckoned with."
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